The wave of silent protest began with Colin Kaepernick, swept the professional sports world and caught fire on Twitter. But one #TakeAKnee participant has generated more buzz than most: an elderly "Missouri farmer" who served in World War II.

The hashtag gained steam on Sunday, particularly after President Donald Trump publicly criticized the NFL for allowing football players to kneel during the national anthem.

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When 97-year-old John Middlemas decided he wanted to join in the movement, his grandson, Twitter user Brennan Gilmore, tweeted out a photo of him posing on one knee. "Those kids have every right to protest," Gilmore quotes Middlemas as saying.

As of Sunday night, the original tweet had racked up over 200,000 likes.

Gilmore later elaborated on his grandfather's beliefs, tweeting that Middlemas is a longtime social justice advocate. Middlemas himself attributed his support of civil rights to the time he spent in the military, working on submarines alongside black servicemen, according to a profile in the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.

Other veterans and members of military families who supported the #TakeAKnee movement said they didn't see the act as unpatriotic. Oakland A's rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell, the first MLB player to kneel during the national anthem, said his love for his country was the very thing that compelled him to take a knee.

"My hand was over my heart because I love this country and I have family members, including my father, who bled for this country, and who continue to serve," Maxwell told the Chronicle on Sunday. "I am and forever will be an American citizen and grateful to be here, but my kneeling is what's getting the attention, and I'm kneeling for the people who don't have a voice."

Kaepernick initially knelt to protest police brutality against people of color.

Later on Sunday, Trump defended his harsh condemnations, which had "nothing to do with race," according to the Associated Press. The real issue, he said, is "respect for our country and respect for our flag."